What is referencing?

To acknowledge the work of others in your written work, you must cite and reference them correctly. You must do this every time you refer to someone else’s ideas or writing.

Referencing is an important part of academic writing. It may seem tricky to start with, but it’s worthwhile taking the time to learn to reference correctly. Referencing is an essential academic skill and you may be marked on it.

A reference generally consists of two things:

1. The in-text citation: An in-text citation acknowledges your source in the main body of your document. When you use or refer to another person’s ideas, you provide an in-text citation.
2. The reference list: The reference list sets out all the sources you have used, either as a footnote or at the end of your document.

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